Israel Avoids Wider Conflict with Hezbollah

1 \ Israel focused its overnight strikes in Gaza and Lebanon on Hamas targets in an effort to avoid a wider conflict with Hezbollah, two Israeli defense officials said

— Barak Ravid (@BarakRavid) April 7, 2023

2 \ In discussing their response to a barrage of rockets launched from Lebanon on Thursday, Israeli ministers concluded that Israel didn't have any interest to get dragged into a war in Lebanon that would risk turning into a regional conflict, the Israeli officials said

— Barak Ravid (@BarakRavid) April 7, 2023

3 \ The domestic unrest in Israel over the government's judicial overhaul plan destabilized the country's economy, military and international standing. This was also a key factor in the decision making

— Barak Ravid (@BarakRavid) April 7, 2023

4 \ In the consultation held by Prime Minister Netanyahu and Defense Minister Gallant ahead of a security cabinet meeting Thursday, the IDF and Mossad presented different assessments on what Hezbollah’s response would be to Israeli air strikes in Lebanon, a defense official said

— Barak Ravid (@BarakRavid) April 7, 2023

5 \ Mossad chief David Barnea argued Hezbollah would likely respond to any Israeli airstrike and therefore Israel should strike the organization in addition to Hamas and Lebanese targets, according to the defense official

— Barak Ravid (@BarakRavid) April 7, 2023

6 \ But IDF chief of staff Herzi Halevi said the Israeli interest was to keep Hezbollah out of the equation & to do that, Israel's response should stay focused on Hamas, the official said. Halevi's position prevailed as the recommendation to take at the security cabinet meeting

— Barak Ravid (@BarakRavid) April 7, 2023

7 \ After the initial rocket fire from Lebanon on Thursday, Hezbollah passed messages to Israel through several international mediators that it wasn’t part of the attack and didn’t know about it in advance, according to one Israeli defense official

— Barak Ravid (@BarakRavid) April 7, 2023

8 \ The defense official said that Israeli military intelligence assessments tended to accept Hezbollah’s claim as factual

— Barak Ravid (@BarakRavid) April 7, 2023

9 \ During the Israeli security cabinet meeting later Thursday, one of the main issues discussed was what the scope of the Israeli response should be in Lebanon, Israeli officials said

— Barak Ravid (@BarakRavid) April 7, 2023

10 \ A defense official said that the security chiefs told the ministers that a wider response against Hezbollah would likely result in the organization launching precision missiles toward Israeli cities, which could escalate into a war

— Barak Ravid (@BarakRavid) April 7, 2023

11 \ All the ministers voted in favor of the IDF's recommendation to focus the response against Hamas, two defense officials said

— Barak Ravid (@BarakRavid) April 7, 2023

12 \ A key goal of the response was to avoid a violent clash with Hezbollah in Lebanon and to keep Hamas fronts in both places from uniting, according to two Israeli officials. "This goal has been achieved so far," one of the officials told me

— Barak Ravid (@BarakRavid) April 7, 2023